Hard Work rewarded with a fine win.

Killavullen overturned St. Dominics in the semi-final of the U21 Football Championship last night in Fermoy, on a final score of 3-07 to 0-09.

This was a fantastic turnaround from the initial meeting of these two teams, in the 1st round when the Glanworth / Shanballymore combination had ran out winners by 1-13 to 0-06.

We got the perfect start that the management team would have desired when Jack Creedon finished confidently to the net inside the opening minute. The same player tapped over a nice point in the 7th minute. Glanworth were physically stronger than us down the middle of the park, but met a very stubborn and hardworking defensive unit on this day.

Glanworth got two points on the board by the 8th minute, one from their very impressive free taker, who was clearly limited in his general mobility with a hamstring injury. Our own free taker, Charlie Lillis worked the space well to fire over a booming point in the 10th minute of the half; Glanworth got a point back quickly enough though, to keep the game tight.

Our next score was a very significant one, when Padraig Looney managed to squeeze in a goal from an almost impossible angle. Glanworth replied with two points of their own, before our next point came in the 24th from a now clearly injured Charlie Lillis, from a free. Charlie had got injured when he carried the ball into a crowded area, and Glanworth, being stronger in that department stopped his momentum unceremoniously.

The interval lead that Killavullen enjoyed was 2-03 to 0-05, but though the margin was four points, in a tight game, it probably did not reflect our overall supremacy.

Michael Fresh was introduced for Charlie on the resumption, and this most exciting of young players was to have an immediate effect on the game. He scored a fine point in the 2nd minute of the half, after linking up well with Patrick Angland. He caused consternation again in the opposition rear guard when his direct running could not be countered and he scored a fine individual goal in the 3rd minute of the game. He was fouled for two more points, which he converted himself by the 11th minute to stretch out our advantage to 3-06 to 0-05.

St. Dominics enjoyed a lot of possession at this stage, but failed to make inroads into our defensive unit, who collectively were brilliant of the night. Time and time again, Liam Eoin Nagle, Darren Murphy and Ian Roche got a hand in, and they were the supposed light weights in the defensive unit. Such lofty standards do we expect from Gearoid Sheehan and Kevin Fox that 100% commitment is expected each and every time, and again, that was again the case. The other defensive player Eddie Cotter real strength is his attacking ability, and our opponents found it hard to keep tracks of his elusive runs.

If the defence and our goalie were good on the night, superlatives do not even come close to the midfield dynamism of Patrick Angland and Eoghan Buckley, they were immense on the night, and the ability to get from box to box was staggering in its execution.

St. Dominics rallied as their pedigree suggested they would, and they got two points in the 15th and 18th minute of the half, but in a game where they needed goals, our rear guard simply shut up shop. Kevin Fox exacted himself from his defensive duties to score a long range point in the 29th minute. Glanworth finished with another point in the 33rd minute, but the goal, they craved, was not for taking and we ran out very deserving winners.

The selectors again would have been thrilled with the collective work ethic of the team, from the back to the front, this is a team that certainly do not stand on ceremony, they work very hard to make it happen.

In the final, on a date, yet to be decided, we will meet the winners of St. Kevins (Ballyclough / Milford) or Kilara Óg (Kilworth / Araglin).